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FCS8883 Healthy Eating: Understanding the Nutrition Facts 1 Label Linda B. Bobroff and Karla P. Shelnutt2 Why do we need the Nutrition Facts label? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that most food packages have the Nutrition Facts label. This label contains information about nutrients in the food to help people make healthier food choices. Older adults can use the label to choose foods that provide required daily nutrients or fit with a diet plan to manage a disease or health con- dition. For example, people with hypertension may look for foods that are lower in sodium and high in potassium. People with heart disease may choose foods lower in saturated fat and trans fat. Although the label includes quite a bit of information, these guidelines will Figure 1. FDA released this new format for the Nutrition Facts help you use the information that you need to panel in May 2016, and it has already appeared on some foods. The updated label was scheduled to be required on most food make healthy food buying decisions. packages by July 2018, but that date has been postponed (FDA, 2017). Credits: FDA (http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/ GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/ LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm) 1. This document is FCS8883, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 2009. Revised May 2017. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 2. Linda B. Bobroff, professor; and Karla P. Shelnutt, associate professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Start at the Top Limit Certain Nutrients The best place to start is with the serving size Americans often eat more saturated fat, trans and servings per container, located at the top fat, cholesterol, and sodium than they need. of the Nutrition Facts label. Serving sizes of a Luckily, these are all listed on the Nutrition food may be larger or smaller than what you Facts label, so you can choose foods lower eat at one sitting. If you eat the whole package, in these nutrients. Aim to eat less than 100% but the serving size on the Nutrition Facts of the Daily Value (DV) for these nutrients label is only half a package, then you need to each day (FDA, 2016). For a 2,000-calorie diet double all the numbers on the label to know you should be getting less than the following how much of each nutrient was in the food amounts on a daily basis. Note that there is no that you ate (FDA, 2016). DV for trans fat; the recommendation is to eat Check the Calories as little of it as possible. The Nutrition Facts label tells you how many These are the maximum amounts to eat per calories are in one serving of the food (FDA, day: 2016). You can get an idea of the relative 20 g saturated fat calorie content of various foods by using this quick guide. 300 mg cholesterol 40 calories or fewer per serving is 2,400 mg sodium low-calorie. 100 calories per serving is moderate-calorie. Get Plenty of Good Stuff! Most American diets do not contain enough 400 calories or more per serving is fiber, vitamin D, potassium, calcium, or iron high-calorie. (FDA, 2016). That is why these nutrients are required to be on the Nutrition Facts label. Eating more calories than you need over Aim to get at least 100% of the DV for these time can lead to unwanted weight gain. On nutrients each day. Foods such as fruits, veg- the other hand, not eating enough calories etables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy prod- contributes to unintended weight loss and ucts are great sources of these nutrients. Fruits frailty in older adults. It is a good idea to learn and vegetables do not come with a Nutrition how similar foods compare in the number Facts label when you buy them fresh, but your of calories they provide. Using the Nutrition store may have nutrition information at the Facts panel to compare various brands of a point of purchase. You can also check out this similar food can help you decide which brand website for nutrition information about fruits of beans to buy. You might want the one that and vegetables: http://www.fruitsandveggies- has the fewest calories or the one that provides morematters.org/fruit-veggie-nutrition. the most calories, depending on your calorie needs. Healthy Eating: Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label 2 as low as possible because this type of fat has a negative effect on blood cholesterol and raises risk of heart disease (Brouwer, Wanders, & Katan, 2010). Older adults need to have enough protein in their diets to stay healthy and avoid muscle loss (Volpi et al., 2012). Go to http://www. choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods for a protein intake recommendation based on your individual needs. The website has examples of Credits: Fuse foods that are great sources of this essential Look at the % Daily Values! nutrient and ways to include them in your diet. The % DV tells you what percentage of your There is no recommendation for a certain level daily requirement for a nutrient is in one of sugar intake. The updated nutrition label serving of a food. The % DVs are based on that is being introduced on foods over the a 2,000-calorie diet, but you can use them next couple of years shows the total amount as a guide even if you need more or fewer of sugar in the food as well as added sugars. calories. For example, if a food has 50% DV Total sugars include added sugars and sugars for calcium, two servings would provide your naturally found in foods like fruits. Read total calcium requirement for the day. Of the ingredients list to see which sugars have course, we do not need to get 100% of the DV been added to the food. Common added for any nutrient from one food. You can use sugars include syrups, such as high fructose this guide to decide if a food is a good source corn syrup (HFCS), maltodextrin, sucrose, of a particular nutrient and to compare it with dextrose, honey, and fruit juice concentrate. other similar foods. Current dietary guidelines suggest that we limit our intake of added sugars of all types to 5% DV or less is low. reduce risk of obesity and diabetes. 20% DV or more is high. Note: The FDA issued the updated Nutrition You can use the % DV to compare nutrients Facts label for packaged food in 2016. The in different brands of the same kind of food updated version will go into effect over the as long as the serving sizes are similar (FDA, next few years. For more information, visit 2016). the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/Food/ IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutri- What about trans fat, protein, and tion/ucm274593.htm. sugars? Where can I get more information? Even though these nutrients do not have % The Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) DV listed, you still can see how much of these agent at your local UF/IFAS Extension office nutrients are in a serving of a food. Experts may have more information or classes for you recommend keeping your intake of trans fats to attend. Find your local UF/IFAS Extension Healthy Eating: Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label 3 office at http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/ map. A registered dietitian (RD) can also provide you with reliable information. References Brouwer, I. A., Wanders, A. J., & Katan, M. B. (2010). Effect of animal and industrial trans fatty acids on HDL and LDL cholesterol levels in humans—A quantitative review. PLoS One, 5(3), e9434. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2017). Changes to the Nutrition Facts label. Accessed on July 19, 2017. https://www.fda.gov/Food/ GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocuments- RegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ ucm385663.htm#dates U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2016). How to understand and use the Nutrition Facts label. Accessed on May 5, 2017. http:// www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLa- beling/LabelingNutrition/ucm274593.htm Volpi, E., Campbell, W.W., Dwyer, J. T., Johnson, M. A., Jensen, G. L., Morley, J. E., & Wolfe, R. R. (2012). Is the optimal level of protein intake for older adults greater than the recommended dietary allowance? The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 68(6), 677–81. https://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3660117/ Healthy Eating: Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label 4
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